warnerbrosanimationfandomcom-20200214-history
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons (formerly Leon Schlesinger Productions), the studio which produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon shorts from 1933 to 1963, and from 1967 to 1969. Warner reestablished its own animation division in 1980 to produce Looney Tunes related works. Since 1990, Warner Bros. Animation has primarily focused upon the production of television and feature animation of other properties, notably including those related to Time Warner's DC Comics publications. History 1972 - 1989: Restarting the studio The original Warner Bros. Cartoon studio, as well as all of Warner Bros.' short subject production divisions, closed in 1969 due to the rising costs and declining returns of short subject production. Outside animation companies were hired to produce new Looney Tunes-related animation for TV specials and commercials at irregular intervals. In 1976, Warner Bros. Cartoon alumnus Chuck Jones began producing a series of Looney Tunes specials at his Chuck Jones Productions animation studio, the first of which was Carnival of the Animals. These specials, and a 1975 Looney Tunes retrospective feature film titled Bugs Bunny: Superstar, led Jones to produce The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie for Warner Bros. in 1979. This film blended classic Looney Tunes/''Merrie Melodies'' shorts with newly produced wraparounds of Bugs Bunny introducing each cartoon. Warner Bros. responded to the success of this film by reestablishing its own cartoon studio. Warner Bros. Animation reopened its doors in 1980 to produce compilation films and television specials starring the Looney Tunes characters. Friz Freleng left DePatie-Freleng (which became Marvel Productions after being sold to Marvel Entertainment), and returned to Warner as executive producer. Before leaving DFE, Freleng produced new animation for The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981). The new wraparounds for Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982) and Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983) featured footage by a new Warner Bros. Animation staff, composed mainly of veterans from the golden age of WB cartoons, including writers John Dunn and Dave Detiege. By 1986, Freleng had departed, with Steven S. Greene and Kathleen Helppie-Shipley taking his place. The studio continued production on special projects starring the Looney Tunes characters, sporadically producing new Looney Tunes shorts for theaters such as The Duxorcist (1987), Night of the Living Duck (1988), Box-Office Bunny (1990), and Carrotblanca (1995). Many of these shorts, as well as the new footage in the compilation film Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (which includes The Duxorcist), were directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, as well as Darrell Van Citters. 1989 - 1997: Moving into television animation Beginning in 1989, Warner Bros. moved into regular television animation production. Warners' television division was established by WB Animation President Jean MacCurdy, who brought in producer Tom Ruegger and much of his staff from Hanna-Barbera Productions' A Pup Named Scooby-Doo series. A studio for the television unit was set up at the Sherman Oaks Galleria northwest of Los Angeles. Darrell Van Citters, who used to work at Disney, would work on the newer Bugs Bunny shorts, before leaving to form Renegade Animation in 1992. The first Warner Bros. original animated TV series Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1995) was produced in conjunction with Amblin Entertainment, and featured young cartoon characters based upon specific Looney Tunes stars, and was a success. Later Amblin/Warner Bros. television shows, including Animaniacs (1993–1998), its spin-off Pinky and the Brain (1995–1998), and Freakazoid! (1995–1997) followed in continuing the Looney Tunes tradition of cartoon humor. Warner Bros. Animation also began developing shows based upon comic book characters owned by sister company DC Comics. These programs, including Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), Batman Beyond (1999–2001), and Justice League/Justice League Unlimited (2001–2006) proved popular among both children and adults. These shows were part of the DC animated universe. A theatrical Batman spin-off feature, Mask of the Phantasm was produced in 1993 and bumped up to theatrical release. The film was well-received by critics but performed poorly at the box-office, though it eventually became a commercial success through its subsequent home video releases. 1997 - 2003: The rise and fall of Warner Bros. Feature Animation Warner Bros., as well as several other Hollywood studios, moved into feature animation following the success of Disney's The Lion King in 1994. Max Howard, a Disney alumnus, was brought in to head the new division, which was set up in two studios: one in Sherman Oaks near the television studio, and the other in nearby Glendale.Kenyon, Heather (April 1998) "An Afternoon with Max Howard, President, Warner Bros. Feature Animation". Animation World Network. Retrieved June 16, 2007. Turner Feature Animation, later merged and named Warner Bros. Feature Animation, like all of the in-house feature animation studios proved an unsuccessful venture, as five of the six films it produced failed to earn money during their original theatrical releases (due to lack of promotion for their animated features). The first of Warners' animated features was Space Jam (1996), a live-action/animation mix which starred NBA star, Michael Jordan opposite Bugs Bunny (Jordan had previously appeared with the Looney Tunes in a number of Nike commercials). Directed by Joe Pytka (live-action) and Bruce W. Smith & Tony Cervone (animation), Space Jam proved to be a success at the box office. Animation production for Space Jam was primarily done at the new Sherman Oaks studio, although much of the work was outsourced to animation studios around the world. Following Space Jam's success, Warner Bros. Feature Animation continued production on its next feature, Cats Don't Dance (1997), which was met with warm critical and audience reception but bombed thanks to little marketing and fanfare. The following year, their next feature Quest for Camelot (1998), panned by both critics and audiences, but its soundtrack (especially one of the songs, "The Prayer") did receive some accolades. The fourth Warner Bros. animated feature, Brad Bird's The Iron Giant (1999), was not a commercial success, although it received rave reviews and performed well with test audiences. The Iron Giant would eventually became a modern cult classic. The studio's next film, Osmosis Jones (2001) was another animated/live action mix which suffered through a troubled production. Directors Tom Sito and Piet Kroon completed the animation long before the live-action segments, eventually directed by Bobby & Peter Farrelly and starring Bill Murray, were begun. The resulting film was a box office flop, although it was successful enough on the home video market for Warner's Television Animation department to produce a related Saturday morning cartoon, Ozzy & Drix (2002–2003) for its WB broadcast network. Following the releases of The Iron Giant and Osmosis Jones the feature animation staff was scaled back, and the entire animation staff - feature and television - were moved to the larger Sherman Oaks facility. The final Warner Bros. Feature Animation production was another live-action/animation mix, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), which was meant to be the starting point for a reestablishment of the classic cartoons brands, including a planned series of new Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts. The newer Looney Tunes were produced by Back in Action writer and producer Larry Doyle. while the Tom and Jerry shorts were produced by co-creator Joe Barbera, whom also wrote and directed some entries. After Back in Action, directed by Joe Dante (live action) and Eric Goldberg (animation), received mixed reviews and failed at the box office, production was shut down on the new shorts and the feature animation unit was dissolved to avoid the financial ruin of the entire studio. Two TV series based loosely upon the Looney Tunes property, Baby Looney Tunes (2002–2005), Loonatics Unleashed (2005–2007) and Tom and Jerry Tales (2006-2008) have assumed the place of the original shorts on television. 1996–present: Acquisitions and Warner Bros. Animation today Warners' parent company Time Warner merged with Turner Broadcasting System in 1996, not only reacquiring the rights to the pre-August 1948The latest released WB cartoon sold to a.a.p. was Haredevil Hare, released on July 24, 1948. color Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (plus all the B&W Merrie Melodies except Lady, Play Your Mandolin! and the post-Harman/Ising B&W entries, which WB had held on to since 1967 after merging with Seven Arts Productions, which had owned that cartoon and the B&W Looney Tunes) but also taking on two more animation studios: Turner Feature Animation and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. Turner Feature was immediately folded into Warner Bros. Feature Animation, while Hanna-Barbera merged with Warner Bros. Animation itself. With the death of William Hanna in 2001, Warner fully took over production of H-B related properties such as Scooby-Doo, producing a steady stream of Scooby direct-to-video films (beginning with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island) and two new series, What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002–2005) and Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (2006–2008). The Turner merger also gave WB access to the pre-1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library, which included its classic cartoon library (including such characters as Tom and Jerry, Droopy, Barney Bear, and Screwy Squirrel). WBA has since co-produced a few direct-to-video films with Turner which starred Tom and Jerry. Besides producing content for the daytime market, Warner Bros. Animation also produced Baby Blues with sister company Warner Bros. Television and 3 South with MTV Animation for primetime. The series which Hanna-Barbera had been producing for Turner's Cartoon Network before and during the Time Warner/Turner merger were shifted to production at Cartoon Network Studios, a sister company to Warner Bros. Animation. Warner Bros. Animation is today exclusively involved in the production of animated television programming and direct-to-video features. It produced many of the shows airing on the Kids' WB Saturday morning programming block of The CW until May 24, 2008. These programs included Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, Krypto the Superdog, Xiaolin Showdown, The Batman, and the aforementioned Loonatics Unleashed and Tom and Jerry Tales. By 2007, the studio had downsized significantly from its size during the late 1990s. Warner Bros. downsized the studio further in June, shut down the Sherman Oaks studio, and had Warner Bros. Animation moved to the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California. In early 2008 after the demise of Kids' WB!, Warner Bros. Animation became almost dormant with only Batman: The Brave and the Bold in production at the time. To expand the company's online content presence, Warner Bros. Animation launched the new KidsWB.com (announced as T-Works) on April 28, 2008. The new website gathers its core animation properties in a single online environment that will be interactive and customizable for site visitors. The Kids WB offers both originally produced content along with classic animated episodes, games, and exploration of virtual worlds, all supported by advertising. Some of the characters to be used in the project from the Warner libraries include those of Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, and DC Comics. On March 25, 2009, sister network Cartoon Network announced Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated in the Fall 2009-2010 season by Warner Bros. Animation. Warner Bros. Animation recently announced several new projects, such as The Looney Tunes Show (formerly called Laff Riot); a reboot of ThunderCats, and several series based on DC Comics properties such as MAD (TV series), Green Lantern, and Young Justice. Meanwhile, more recently, Fox has begun commence on a reboot of Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones, developed by Family Guy/American Dad! creator Seth MacFarlane. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Animation is producing also DC Showcase, a series of short subjects featuring lesser known comic book superheroes, to be released in tandem with direct-to-video films based on DC Comics properties. On July 30, 2010 Coyote Falls, a 3D cartoon featuring Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner was released, being the first time WB Animation produced theatrically released content since The Karate Guard in 2005 (The only 2003-produced cartoon to have an theatrical screening) and the first time which the studio used full CGI and stereoscopic 3D. Two more theatrical Road Runner cartoons have followed during the year (Fur of Flying and Rabid Rider) but no more shorts were announced during the moment owing to the deepening recession in the US and production delays on most WB animation shows until much later, however, on June 8, 2011 Daffy Rhapsody a 3D CGI cartoon featuring Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd will be release with the movie Happy Feet 2, Two more will follow, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat with Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Pie and Untitled Coyote & Road Runner. Filmography Feature-length films Films produced by Warner Bros. * The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979, compilation film, co=produced by Chuck Jones Productions) * The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981, compilation film, co-produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises) * Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982, compilation film) * Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983, compilation film) * Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988, compilation film) * Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993, produced under Warner Bros. Television Animation) * Space Jam (1996, animation/live-action) * Cats Don't Dance (1997, produced by Turner Feature Animation) * Quest for Camelot (1998) * The Iron Giant (1999) * Osmosis Jones (2001, animation/live-action) * Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003, animation/live action) Animated films distributed only by Warner Bros. * Gay Purr-ee (1962, produced by United Productions of America) * Thumbelina (1994, distribution only, produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios) * A Troll in Central Park (1994, distribution only, produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios) * The King and I (1999, distribution only, produced by Morgan Creek Productions) * Pokemon: The First Movie (1999, distribution only, co-distributed by 4Kids Entertainment, produced by OLM) * Pokemon The Movie 2000 (2000, distribution only, co-distributed by 4Kids Entertainment, produced by OLM) * Pokemon 3: The Movie (2001, distribution only, co-distributed by 4Kids Entertainment, produced by OLM) * The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002, distribution only, produced by Cartoon Network Studios) * Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004, produced by Scholastic) * The Polar Express (2004, co-produced by ImageMovers Digital and Castle Rock Entertainment) * Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light (2004, distribution only, co-distributed by 4Kids Entertainment) * Corpse Bride (2005, co-produced by Tim Burton Animation Co.) * The Ant Bully (2006, co-produced by DNA Productions and Legendary Pictures) * Happy Feet (2006, co-produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and Animal Logic) * TMNT (2007, co-produced by Imagi Animation Studios and The Weinstein Company) * Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010, co-produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and Animal Logic) Direct-to-video Scooby-Doo * Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) * Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999) * Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000) * Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (2001) * Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire (2003) * Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico (2003) * Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (2004) * Aloha, Scooby-Doo! (2005) * Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? (2005) (released theatrically in select cities by Kidtoon Films) * Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006) * Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (2007) * Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (2008) * Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword (2009) * Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo (2010) * Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010) * Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (2011) Tom and Jerry * Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring (2001) * Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars (2004) * Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry (2005, released theatrically in select cities by Kidtoon Films) * Tom and Jerry: The Karate Guard (2005 short, released theatrically) * Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers (2006) * Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007) * Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (2010) * Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz (2011) DC Comics * Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998) * Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) * Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003) * The Batman vs. Dracula (2005) * Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006) * Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2007) * Superman: Doomsday (2007) * Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) * Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) * Wonder Woman (2009) * Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) * Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) * Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) * Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) * Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010) * All-Star Superman (2011) DC Showcase * The Spectre (2010) * Jonah Hex (2010) * Green Arrow (2010) * Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam (2010) Looney Tunes related * Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992, with Amblin Entertainment) * Wakko's Wish (1999, with Amblin Entertainment) * Tweety's High-Flying Adventure (2000) * Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure (2003) * Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006) Other * ¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico (2004) * Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.! (2004) Television shows * Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1995, with Amblin Entertainment) * Taz-Mania (1991–1993) * Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995) * The Plucky Duck Show (1992, with Amblin Entertainment) * Animaniacs (1993–1998, with Amblin Entertainment) * The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (1995–2000) * Pinky and the Brain (1995–1998 with Amblin Entertainment) * Freakazoid! (1995–1997, with Amblin Entertainment) * Road Rovers (1996–1997) * Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000) * Waynehead (1996–1997, with Nelvana) * The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999) * The New Adventures of Zorro (1997–1998) * Histeria! (1998–2001) * Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998–1999, with Amblin Entertainment) * Batman Beyond (1999–2001) * Detention (1999–2000) * Baby Blues (most episodes, 2000–2002, with Warner Bros. Television) * Static Shock (2000–2004) * The Zeta Project (2001–2002) * Justice League (2001–2004) * 3 South (2002–2003, with MTV Animation) * Baby Looney Tunes (2002, 2004–2005) * ¡Mucha Lucha! (2002–2005) * Ozzy & Drix (2002–2004) * What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002–2005) (co-production with Hanna-Barbera Productions) * Duck Dodgers (2003–2005) * Teen Titans (2003–2006) * Xiaolin Showdown (2003–2006) * Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006) * The Batman (2004–2008) * Krypto the Superdog (2005–2006) * Firehouse Tales (2005–2006) * Johnny Test (2005–2006, first season only, the remainder of the show is now done by Cookie Jar Entertainment) * Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island (2005–2006) * Loonatics Unleashed (2005–2007) * Tom and Jerry Tales (2006–2008) (co-production with Turner Entertainment) * Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (2006–2008) (co-production with Hanna-Barbera Productions) * Legion of Super Heroes (2006–2008) * Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008–present) * Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010–present) (co-production with Hanna-Barbera Productions) * MAD (2010–present) * Young Justice (2010–present) * The Looney Tunes Show (2011-present) * ThunderCats (coming in 2011) * Green Lantern: The Animated Series (coming in November 2011) * The Flintstones (forthcoming 2013) (co-production with 20th Century Fox Animation, Coconut Heads Productions Studios Inc. and Fuzzy Door Productions) Anthology television shows * The Bugs Bunny Show (1960–2000, several incarnations) * Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends (1990–1992) * That's Warner Bros.! (1995–1996) * Bugs N' Daffy (1995–1999) * The Daffy Duck Show (1996–1997) * The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show (1999–2000) TV specials *''Cool Like That: The Christmas Special'' (1993) * A Miser Brothers' Christmas (2008) Notes See also * Warner Bros. Cartoons * Looney Tunes * Merrie Melodies References * Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist by Chuck Jones, published by Farrar Straus & Giroux, ISBN 978-0-374-12348-2 * Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Leonard Maltin, Revised Edition 1979, Plume ISBN 978-0-452-25993-5 (Softcover) ISBN 978-0-613-64753-3 (Hardcover) External links * Warner Bros. official site * * Warner Bros. Cartoons Filmography